


Little by Little

by BeyondTheWoodz



Category: Produce 101 (TV), X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Slow Burn, like really really slow burn, takes place in Produce
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-12 11:07:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20563280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeyondTheWoodz/pseuds/BeyondTheWoodz
Summary: Little by little, Kim Wooseok finds himself falling in love with the debuted-idol-turned-trainee of Yuehua, Cho Seungyoun.01 | Little Flashes of Recognition02 | Little Moment During Practice03 | Little Funny Antics [NEXT]





	1. Little flashes of recognition

_When Wooseok looks up at the fourteenth seat, he sees a familiar face._

Produce X 101 Recording - DAY 1

"Are you ready?" Jinhyuk asks him, a grin etched on his face. Wooseok nods in determination, giving the other man a pat on the back and pushing him towards the door in front of them.

"Ready as I'll ever be," he answers, resolve in his voice. Jinhyuk's smile gets wider, and they walk into the white decorated halls of the Produce X 101 set, leading them to the stage where the company evaluations will take place.

When they entered, they bowed, and the two boys were greeted by fellow contestants a little less than a hundred in number. They're all competitors, people both Wooseok and Jinhyuk would have to face against for a spot in the debut lineup of the next Wanna One for the next few months - well, if they last that long.

Wooseok was in awe - at the amount of detail on the set (The stairs form an X!) as well as the amount of people they'll be faced with (most of them seem young and innocent, doe-eyed with bright expectant looks in their eyes). The pyramid of chairs were intimidating. There are too many seats and too many people on the pyramid and it makes him feel so small in comparison. All of their curious, questioning, and judging gazes were on him and Jinhyuk, and it vaguely reminds him of being scrutinized by the public eye, making him feel uneasy as he stands. But Wooseok has had ample idol experience that allowed him to pretend like his nerves aren't bothering him at all. He gulps, unconsciously placing a hand on his neck to soothe himself.

He's an idol. Most of these kids are trainees who don't have their own fans yet. They’re kids with the same dreams as him. Instead, he's the one they should be intimidated by - a debuted idol with years of experience on stage and a fandom to back him up - not the other way around.

After that little internal pep talk, Wooseok’s expression softens into a calm smile, looking at all the trainees in front of them, his feelings of anxiety being replaced by awe.

"You can sit down now, it’s okay," he hears Jinhyuk speak, obviously flustered.

Wooseok was awoken from his trance, and realized that indeed, everyone was standing for too long after they greeted them. It was awkward - the atmosphere tense, but Wooseok was able to sense it; these kids were intimidated by the two of them. As cruel as it is, Wooseok gained a little bit of confidence in being perceived as threats. He smiles a little at that, trying to assure everyone, ‘don’t worry, we don’t bite’.

Jinhyuk gives him a light tap on the waist before he whispers, “Let’s go up and greet them.” Wooseok nods, and they walk up the stairs, with Wooseok leading the way.

He can hear the whispers, the gossiping. They’re wondering if they’re going up to try and claim the first seat, but Wooseok and Jinhyuk have no such intention. As debuted idols, doing such is bad publicity, and will probably make them appear arrogant to viewers, being interpreted as belittling the other trainees. They really just wanted to greet everyone and take a good look at them, making out anyone who could be a threat.

Feeling their nervous expectant eyes, Wooseok clarifies, “We just came up to say hi to everyone”.

He read before that making eye contact communicates that you are interested in them as people, and Wooseok wanted to communicate that, so he makes sure to have eye contact as much as he can. He is, after all, interested in the many characters he’ll be with for the next few weeks.

Once they’re done, he makes their way down the stairs, with Jinhyuk following behind him.

"Let's sit here," he suggests, pointing towards the seats 98 and 99.

He leans to Jinhyuk's ear to whisper after they have settled down in their seats. "Well, that was awkward."

Jinhyuk doesn't respond - not like Wooseok needed him to. The man just grinned in amusement as if he finds the whole situation funny. Wooseok turns around, greeting the other trainees surrounding them with a small bow - they always bowed back more, probably intimidated by the fact that they're really seeing idols so close to them right now.

_ "There are so many familiar faces this season,"_ he hears a trainee from a few rows behind him speak. Wooseok pretends to not hear as he plays with the sleeves of his shirt.

_"We've got those two guys from Up10tion - Wei and Wooshin. They're gonna be really big threats. I actually thought they were doing pretty well, but if they’re joining here, I guess I’m mistaken.“_

_ “There's also the two guys from MyTeen. Song Yubin’s going to be the main vocal pick of the season, I can already tell."_

_ "We've got another two guys from Victon - they've got lots of fans. Also, Soohan in Produce? Sky Castle's popular. People would support him."_

_ "That would depend if he does well. He may be known but I don't think he's received idol training."_

_ "Some kids from YG Treasure box are here too. They'd already have their own fans by now. They've received idol training, and by YG at that."_

_ "Do you think they'll get screentime? I mean, isn't being associated with YG a bad thing right now, with the scandal and all?"_

_ "You know this conversation is being recorded, right?"_

_ "Oh, yeah! Sorry..."_

_ "Forget about Treasure Box, Kim Dongbin lasted up to Position Evaluations in Season two - even if his reputation wasn't the best back then. Once he shows his growth, he's also gonna be one hell of a competition. Even those who didn't make it in the finals in Season two had quite the fandom backing them up. No joke."_

Wooseok's ears perk up. Those are a lot of familiar faces he wasn't able to notice, which is something considering he went out of his way to greet the trainees. In a way, it calms him down. Him and Jinhyuk won't have to be the only debuted idols trying their shot in debuting in Produce. There are more people who would relate to their struggles.

_"I don't know if it's just me but isn't the guy in seat fourteen quite familiar too? I just can't place it."_

This piques Wooseok's curiosity. Out of instinct, he turns his head and searches for seat number fourteen. There are ten blue sofa seats, so in the row below it, on the left of the pyramid - he spots the guy, animatedly conversing with the trainees beside him, with one of them even bending over in laughter at something he said.

UNIQ's Cho Seungyoun.

As if the man felt the gaze on him, Seungyoun turns to Wooseok's direction, a small smile forming on his lips to show acknowledgement. The action causes the apple of his cheeks to become more prominent, and his eyes form foxy crescents. It reminds Wooseok of a Shiba inu.

The boy's hair was shorter than the last time they've seen each other backstage in a music show - he looks inconspicuous, like he doesn't really intend to stand out and wave around the fact that he's an idol - if his seemingly carefree conversations with the trainees beside him are any indication, as well as his rather unpolished look consisting of a short haircut and natural black hair. He actually looks really different from the last time they've seen each other - hair dyed, makeup and idol outfits on. Right now, Seungyoun just blends in perfectly with everyone else beside him, contrasting him and Jinhyuk who sit awkwardly in a sea of very young trainees.

Wooseok responds with a small grin back, and for a brief second, Seungyoun's smile gets wider, and the man returns to talking animatedly with the trainees sitting by his side.

_ ”I don't know what you mean,"_ the gossiping trainees speak again, _"Maybe he's familiar because he looks like someone?"_

Wooseok turns to look at the stage as another trainee enters the room. Time passes. They meet the trainers and the national representative. Wooseok isn't gonna lie - his heart almost jumped out upon seeing _the_ Lee Dongwook come out from the stage's entrance. He expected seeing a female representative and was prepared for that - not the attractive grim reaper himself.

He eyes Jinhyuk mischievously right after they sit to greet the representative, and the guy replies with a quiet little laugh. They've known each other enough to converse without speaking anyway.

Eventually, the auditions start. It goes by volunteer basis. Once all the volunteers are finished, they start calling the companies by alphabetical order. As Wooseok sits on his little plastic chair and watches the kids perform, his nerves transform into boredom, and later, sleepiness. He yawns, wiping the little bead of tear on the corner of his eyes.

"Should we volunteer next? I kind of want to nap," he whispers. "You know you can’t do that, they could easily twist that footage into something bad about you," Jinhyuk answers, as he watches the children on the stage make mistakes on syncing up with the instrumentals of the songs they're performing. "Ah! It's okay! You did well!" he whispers encouragement meant for the performers to himself.

Wooseok sighs. He watches the kids perform anyway, even providing a little commentary sometimes to not fall asleep. It comes naturally to him since he really talks a lot - it usually catches people by surprise. The trainees beside them help a lot by providing their own commentaries too, occasionally asking him and Jinhyuk on their opinions. The atmosphere is getting a little better in their area, and Wooseok was glad about that.

"Next up, Yuehua Entertainment."

Wooseok perks up. He's pretty interested in watching the auditions of his fellow idols - he's curious to see how much better they fare. He can't exactly explain why he's so interested - it's something akin to 'debuted idol solidarity'. He just feels connected to them and wants to support them.

Seungyoun enters the stage with two Yuehua trainees beside him. They wear coordinated warm colors, with one trainee named Yoo Seongjun in a bright red sweater, the other trainee named Hwang Geumryul in a light denim jacket with yellow accents. Seungyoun himself donned an orange and blue loose fitted checkered shirt. The way their clothes are patterned makes it so that nobody really stands out - they're all equal right now.

"What song did you prepare?"

"It’s an original song," Seungyoun answers, fixing the mic attached to the side of his face.

A collective 'oooh' resonated in the set. Even Jinhyuk seemed impressed, muttering a 'first self-produced song for the day'. Wooseok won't deny that he's also actually interested - he hasn't listened to the stuff Cho Seungyoun put out, but as schoolmates, he's heard much about Seungyoun's talent as a producer. This is probably the first time he'll really get to hear one of his productions. The Yuehua trainees get into position, and the music starts.

Wooseok turns to the audience, and he can already see a few trainees bobbing their head to the music. It’s a memorable beat, one that makes you want to tap your foot to it. When the Yuehua trainees did their little clap, it kind of makes you want to clap with them too.

_“I feel like I feel like I live in a dream…”_

And Wooseok sees the difference that 9 years of experience really makes.

Cho Seungyoun’s voice was stable, amazingly so if you compare it to the rest of the trainees who performed that day. His voice was clear and unique, and it doesn’t waver. That level of skill is something you can only achieve with incessant practice, and Wooseok found his eyes only seeing the guy in the checkered shirt singing in front.

Wasn’t he a rapper in UNIQ?

He expected the guy to rap anytime in the performance, but it seemed like he let the other trainees take over the rap parts instead. Their voices were quite shaky and unstable, but it’s fine, they don’t have the experience that Seungyoun has. Cho Seungyoun is the anomaly here, not the other two. He’s just that good. And even during the parts of the other trainees, Wooseok has his eyes locked on the debuted idol in the trio.

_ “I would do whatever it takes to maintain what we have between us, just stay by my side, we want to be eternally blue…”_

_ “As the sea in this dream.”_

Wooseok taps a foot on the waiting section backstage as he sings while watching the trainees who just performed receive comments about their audition. Jinhyuk nudges him on the shoulder, and when Wooseok looks at him, he had an eyebrow raised.

“Looks like you’re suffering from last song syndrome with that Yuehua song,” Jinhyuk comments.

“Well, it’s pretty catchy,” Wooseok shrugs, eyes turning away from Jinhyuk to view the television screen that showed the trainees getting their individual grades. “It has to be my favorite from all the self-produced songs performed.”

“I don’t know about you, but the AAP.Y song and Brand New Music song ain’t bad either. _Go get her_ could pass as a debut song, but yeah DREAM is definitely catchy.”

Wooseok smiles to himself. A staff holding a file on her hands comes to them, ushering them towards the side of the stage. Finally, TOP Media is called on to perform.

“Enough about them. Let’s show them what two debuted idols from TOP Media can do,” Wooseok says, adjusting his mic as he gives the fellow UP10TION member a pat on the back.

Jinhyuk smiles, and they both walk on to the stage of Produce X 101.

The recording ends for the day. As the trainees who received grades A to D stand up to leave the set, Wooseok hears a voice behind him coming from one of the trainees who were gossiping early into the recording.

_ “I remember him now! He’s UNIQ's Luizy from Show Me The Money!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> English translations for the lyrics of DREAM is taken from this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we29vnprgIs
> 
> This isn't meant to be an accurate presentation of the events in Produce X 101, so please don't take it as such. I took a lot of creative license to fill in a few gaps here and there, and to make it a lot more interesting.
> 
> Also, this wasn't proofread. I might get into editing this chapter again in the future - after I finish.
> 
> Catch me on twitter! I'm looking for Armyoneit mutuals! I don't bite! -> https://twitter.com/beyondthewoodz


	2. Little Moment During Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wooseok and Seungyoun have their first real conversation.
> 
> It was fun.

_Wooseok smiles – he just can't help it when Cho Seungyoun is just right there, infecting him with his endless energy._

B.

Wooseok looks down at the bright orange shirt which will serve as his uniform for the next few weeks. There was a character written in big blue text in it, and he stares at it intensely, as if there's something wrong with it. Scratch that, something IS wrong with it. 

"You know the letter B won't change to an A if you just stare at it," Jinhyuk chides him, hugging the uniform he was given.

They were at the first floor of the Produce X 101 Training Center, and so were all the other trainees. After making it into the said dorms, they had to get their uniforms before they get to settle in their respective bedrooms. Most of the trainees still seem fairly energetic, they're all loud as they boast their own graded uniforms and pose for the staff who had been roaming around the place to capture footage.

Wooseok watches the little group in the center of the room - trainees holding pink uniforms. They're all comparing their shirts which had glitter on their letter grade, making it gleam under the light source they all gathered under, waving their shirts in front of the cameras hovering around them. A bunch of other trainees look on with longing eyes at the bunch, and even if he denies it, Wooseok is couldn’t help but watch them from a far with a tightened fist clutching the uniform folded on his hand.

“Someone’s getting envious, I see?”

It was Jinhyuk, raising a brow at him.  
  
"We'll get A," Wooseok tells him, ignoring the other man’s comment, "And we'll get to wear that damned glitter shirt."  
  
Jinhyuk smiles at his resolve.  
  
"An Up10tion member claiming the center spot in Produce 101's fourth season – I like the sound of that too," Wooseok continues to declare.  
  
"Oh please, now you're just getting ahead of yourself," Jinhyuk laughs lightheartedly, hitting the man beside him lightly, "Get an A ranking first."  
  
"Of course I will," Wooseok responds, "But that isn't the goal. My goal is the center spot!"  
  
"Ahh... This debuted idol beside me right now is really bigheaded."  
  
Jinhyuk earns a not-so-soft smack to his arm.  
  
A little shortly after that, the trainees get their room assignment. Fortunately, he and Jinhyuk were roommates, alongside a bunch of other trainees also in the B class. They were awestruck by the thought of getting to be in the same room as two debuted idols, so the room was quiet at first save for Wooseok and Jinhyuk's constant banter. The other trainees only really started engaging in conversation after Jinhyuk pulled out his Olaf onesie, and everyone started talking about Frozen, much to Wooseok's dismay and Jinhyuk's amusement.

Once dinner comes around, they have a buffet feast to celebrate the first day of the recording. It was loud and cheerful as the trainees all warm up and open up a little bit to one another, with little groups already forming on the sides. The young trainees all make it their agenda to ask questions to the debuted idols - and Wooseok finds himself surrounded by kids, particularly the ones he already talked to, like his roommates and the trainees who sat by them during the recordings earlier. Wooseok would be lying to himself he if said he didn’t find a lot of these kids adorable.

"That high note was really just me screaming in pain when my butt hit the floor. See, when I was making the song, I placed it there right after the flip on purpose."

Wooseok turns to the left, finding a fellow trainee in orange and blue checkered shirt being surrounded by trainees as he talks - doing gestures as he tells his stories, a sub sandwhich on the other hand. The trainees with him laugh, wide grins reaching their ears. Wooseok finds himself smiling at the little corner of Cho Seungyoun’s improvised stand-up comedy. The UNIQ member seemed to have become really well-liked by the trainees regardless of grade level – A grade's Nam Dohyon looked like he was super glued to the man's hip already, listening to his bullshit of an advice.

"That's what you call professionalism, kids. You hurt your butt because of a flip? Scream your pain into a high note and don't let the pain show."

Laughter ensues.

Wooseok eats a lot – today is the only day they'll be this carefree and get this much rest from now on.

  
  
  
  
_ "This song is way more difficult than Nayana."_  
  
Well, Wooseok doesn't know much about comparing, but X1-MA is definitely a difficult and high-energy song to perform – probably something overwhelming for the baby chick trainees.  
  
Today is the second day of recording, and everyone has to go to the pyramid set to have the title song unveiled. All throughout watching the dance video of the season's title song, Wooseok could hear the gasps of amazement as well the pained grunts of trainees. Like the experienced idol that he is, however, he looks for the most important points of the dance so he can study them and polish them later during practice. Rather than lamenting the difficulty, his experience said it’s best to just learn it.  
  
There were a lot of X symbols thrown throughout the choreography - Wooseok finds it a little amusing.  
  
The dance, on the other hand – it's far from amusing when you have to learn the whole thing in three days. The dance trainers taught them the point of the dance step by step, but they don't have the time to attend to the questions of all 101 students, so a lot of the trainees get left behind, struggling with the choreography. Some of the trainees who were able to get the choreography pretty quickly were helping the people having difficulty, but they’re too few in number so many still get left behind.  
  
Jinhyuk is on one side of the room, teaching a handful of trainees how to do the footwork in the beginning where they put one hand on their chest.

Wooseok sits on the corner, drinking barley tea as he examines the dance video before he continues with his personal practice.

A loud thud.

With the mouth of the bottle of barley tea still on his lips, Wooseok turns his head to the right, staring down at the figure lying on the floor beside him - a man in the B grade uniform, two hands on his abdomen, his chest heaving as he pants. A red beanie obscures the face of the owner, whose pale body trickles with sweat.

“Tired already?” Wooseok raises a brow.

The man removes the beanie from his face. It’s UNIQ’s Cho Seungyoun.

“It’s been a while,” Seungyoun says, panting out every syllable.

“Been a while since what?”

“Since I danced such a high energy choreography and had to learn it for a short time,” Seungyoun answers as he sits up, and then he smiles, “It’s fun.”

Right now, Kim Wooseok’s impression on Cho Seungyoun was simply a guy who was fun. A guy who liked to entertain and took life as a fun ride. A guy who was the embodiment of energy.

Wooseok smiles a little. He wishes he had that much energy in him.

“I wonder if I can still dance to this when I turn 70,” Seungyoun blurts out.

The TOP Media trainee turns his head and stares at the other man in disbelief, “Why would you dance that when you’re 70? Also, what made you suddenly think about that?”

Seungyoun thinks to himself for a short while, as if trying to figure out his own way of thinking, “You know, I’d probably tell my grandkids about that time I joined the hottest idol survival show to exist in Korea, and I’d show them the title song video for proof, and they’d probably ask me if I can still do the dance.”

Wooseok stifles the laughter bubbling inside of him, “Your grandkids wouldn’t ask you to dance this kind of choreography if they love you.”

“Being old doesn’t have to mean I can’t do high-energy activities! It doesn’t have to be!” Seungyoun protests.

Now Wooseok doesn’t know why his very first real conversation with Cho Seungyoun is about if he’d be able to dance X1 MA once he’s old and gray-haired, but it just happened, and Wooseok finds himself smiling because _this is just ridiculous_.

“I can already imagine you when you’re old, Kim. You’re going to be complaining about your joint pain every single time you stand up,” Seungyoun comments before taking another sip of his tea.

“Oh, shut up. Many things will still happen before I reach that point. I might end up becoming a more active grandfather than you.”

“Are you willing to bet on it? Because I sure am.”

“You’d forget about it when you reach 70, trust me. You’re going to be a forgetful old man.”

“I’m willing to make a bet on that one too!” Seungyoun beams, excited.

Wooseok smiles – he just can't help it when Cho Seungyoun is just right there, infecting him with his endless energy. After a few seconds of comfortable silence, with the two trainees just watching the practice, Seungyoun breaks it.

“It’s nice to finally get to talk to you,” he says, “We always just greeted each other but never really talked.”

“And in our first real conversation, we discussed about you dancing to X1MA when you’re 70.”

“I’m 80% sure I can pull it off,” Seungyoun proceeds to do the hand motions for the chorus of X1MA, twisting his face to resemble that of an older version of himself. Wooseok giggles, a hand over his mouth.

“I think I’ll go back to practice now. Talk to you again later, Kim!” Seungyoun stands up, dusting his clothes. He picks up the maroon beanie lying by his side and wears it, and Wooseok thinks it made him resemble a thimble.

“Just call me Wooseok,” the TOP Media trainee suggests, “In this show with 101 people, there are way too many Kims anyway.”

Seungyoun positions himself to stand up and face him, a satisfied smile on his face. “Wooseok it is, then! Just call me Seungyoun too!” he turns around, but still has his face turned a little towards the smaller male, “Talk to you later, Wooseok!”

Seungyoun runs towards the other side of the set, meeting up with a handful of other B kids struggling with the choreography. From afar, Wooseok can see him jumping around. He doesn’t really understand why, but it was amusing, and he chuckles a little bit at that.

After one last sip on his bottle of barley tea, Wooseok wipes his lips and stands up, joining everyone else in practicing once again - this time, his mood has gotten way better.

Wooseok would have Cho Seungyoun to thank for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so SUPPOSEDLY the title of this chapter is "Little MOMENTS during practice" and it was supposed to include the little funny things they did together in the Class B practice room (YES! That bottle scene!) but then I changed my mind to just have this chapter include this, because I'm a tease.
> 
> I don't really know who Wooseok's roommates are during this part of the show but let me pretend he's probably roommates with Jinhyuk alongside a bunch of other non-idol trainees. ARTISTIC LICENSE Y'ALL. Don't question it.
> 
> Hope y'all have a good day and that you enjoyed this lil interaction.


End file.
